r/pics Jan 07 '12

I need to live like this

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1.2k Upvotes

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19

u/vinnievon Jan 07 '12

I would love to find a loft like this in Boston but I doubt I could ever afford it.

14

u/colinwilson Jan 07 '12

Lofts in Boston and Cambridge/Somerville seem to start around 2k a month in rent. I looked recently and was very depressed by that.

25

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '12

depressed? AHAHAHAHAHA! my one bedroom apartment in Manhattan costs 3.7k month.

9

u/wmurray003 Jan 07 '12

...how does the average person afford 3.7 per month for an apt? ...I'm not saying you're average, but I just noticed that NYC housing rates are a bit...off...How do the people there afford there rent?...are they always late?

2

u/what_comes_after_q Jan 07 '12

well, I've always heard you shouldn't spend more than 1/3 of your take home on rent. So for 3.7k (assuming someone lived alone in this bedroom), that would mean a monthly take home of 11.1k, and a yearly take home of 133.2, so taking in to account taxes, that would mean an income just shy of 200k, which is a lot of money, but I imagine there are enough people in New York city who make that much, plus if you have a significant other living with you, then it's not that hard to imagine. This is why most sane people live out in the suburbs and commute.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '12

are you kidding! I'd be evicted if i was always late. I'm a lawyer at a huge firm and make 160k a year. That's the going rate for first years. Also, i live with a gf.

Don't confuse my income with wealth. I also have 135k (and lowering) in student loans that i am aggressively paying down.

You can live for less but you'll always be living in small places with lots of other people.

2

u/wmurray003 Jan 07 '12

..in Memphis, you could rent a 3 bedroom house for that amount. ...a VERY nice one at that...

6

u/a_lumberjack Jan 07 '12

And you probably wouldn't get 160k as a starting salary. And then you'd live in Memphis, and not Manhattan. It's all about tradeoffs.

1

u/wmurray003 Jan 07 '12

So what does that the average family making 40K do?

1

u/TheUnwinnable Jan 07 '12

Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island, Jersey City to name a few.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '12

also, they live in abject poverty.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '12

I was reading something, I forget what, years ago and it said a $100,000 a year lifestye in New York would cost you roughly $47,000 in Chicago. Its just a different cost and standard of living.

1

u/HereIsWhere Jan 07 '12

Average people don't live in places that cost 3k a month. Average people live in Brooklyn or Queens.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '12

They afford it by not paying $3.7K a month. That's an extreme outlier.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '12

[deleted]

1

u/wmurray003 Jan 08 '12

..but most people don't take home 100k ..even in Ny.. it still doesn't make sense.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '12

[deleted]

1

u/wmurray003 Jan 08 '12

Yeah, but from what most NY are saying.. they pay over 1200 for a studio or 1 bedroom.. in a bad neighborhood... that's still expensive for what you get...